23 Jan Traveling Job in Mexico – Promotional Video Marketing

So my second job on my traveling job quest, aka Operation Steal Back American Jobs, could actually be a real moneymaker…if you know what you are doing. My first week here I encountered a cool dude who was always wearing the same t-shirt daily with a YouTube logo on it. Curious as why he was making such a fashion statement, I began to ask questions.

His story was impressive. With humble origins and earned knowledge through the school of hard knocks, my new acquaintance began with simply a Kodak PlaySport pocket cam. He was a one-man band making positive videos depicting the reality of Puerta Vallarta during the Swine Flu scare of 2008 and tourism meltdown that deterred cruise ships and Americanos from flocking to their Mexican tourist havens. Slowly and surely, his skills with a camera increased, as did the popularity of his YouTube clips. Eventually business beckoned for his help with promoting their individual businesses, and thus was the start of his Promotional Video Marketing business. The unique selling proposition (USP), as MBAs love to tout, however, is not the making of the video itself. But rather, that the videos are Search Engine Optimized by stuffing keywords (highly searched words on Google– ie. Puerto Vallarta gay clubs, Puerta Vallarta hot chicks etc.), and hosted on his channel which had gained popularity over the years by shooting video with his handi-cam. Ergo, my new favorite Mexican entrepreneur is able to charge “rent”, so to speak, annually for the privilege of being a video hosted on his YouTube Channel. Upfront cashohola? Reoccurring annual payments? High-Fucking-Five.

In addition to his interesting story, I quickly began to realize the secret sauce for such a venture. The trick to good quality video production is having someone else do all the shooting and editing, you know, someone who actually knows what the hell they are doing. Otherwise your videos will turn out like this…or my Xmas tree training video. Instead, if you opt to go for the gold, you will get a video production that looks like this. (Note the drunken asshole in crimson passed out at the 4.15 & 4.25 mark, from the all you can drink open bar).

While there was a professional cameraman onboard, I did earn my keep by doing most of the underwater work, including the guy carrying the sea urchin. I also had the job of warming up the crowd prior to interviews by drinking and chatting them up, something I have trained for my entire adult life. Get them chatty and get them tipsy is my modus operandi. And I can goad people into drinking tequila like water in a social scene.

In terms of a business opportunity overseas, this one, in my humble opinion, is a real winner. But it does have some caveats. Those being a good mug for the camera, as stated above – shooting and editing skills, Search Engine Optimization knowledge, salesmanship, and the ability to stay in one place long enough to build a solid reputation and business network. In other words: All things that I lack.

[…] designer and a job teaching English online. They weren’t for me, but I ended up with an awesome traveling job making promotional videos for this well-known beach bar called Ku De Ta. I was also submitting travel articles to online […]

Hey I'm Turner - a 30-something American guy into eatin', drankin', and traveling. Not always in that order. You've met me at a weird time in my life, but that's okay. Let's get weird.